President Obama announced in March that he would be sending 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. But in an unannounced move, the White House has also authorized -- and the Pentagon is deploying -- at least 13,000 troops beyond that number, according to defense officials.
The additional troops are primarily support forces, including engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts and military police. Their deployment has received little mention by officials at the Pentagon and the White House, who have spoken more publicly about the combat troops who have been sent to Afghanistan.
The deployment of the support troops to Afghanistan brings the total increase approved by Obama to 34,000.
The deployment does not change the maximum number of service members expected to soon be in Afghanistan: 68,000, more than double the number there when Bush left office. Still, it suggests that a significant number of support troops, in addition to combat forces, would be needed to meet commanders' demands. It also underscores the growing strain on U.S. ground troops, raising practical questions about how the Army and Marine Corps would meet a request from Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan.
Defense experts said the military usually requires that thousands of support troops deploy for each combat brigade of about 4,000. That, in turn, exacerbates the strain on the force, in part because support troops are some of the most heavily demanded in the military and are still needed in large numbers in Iraq.
#1
shame ObamaCo. feel they have to hide it from their nutroots supporters. Remember, this was "the good war" when they could attempt to beat up W about it.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/13/2009 20:33 Comments ||
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#2
I think this is a mistake. We don't need thousands and thousands of support personnel all tethered to an increasingly tenuous supply chain. We either need 1) troops for clear and hold, which means as many people at the tip of the spear as possible in the villages, or 2) troops for counter-strike actions, which means the special forces etc., and the modicum of support they require.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/13/2009 20:55 Comments ||
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#3
The big conflict in the administration over Afghanistan is between those who want more combat troops in-country and those who want Predators/SF/Peace Corps/NGOs/Camouflaged-Meals-On-Wheels instead.
Depending on where the support troops end up, it
sounds like a compromise.
[Quqnoos] Secretary Hillary Clinton in a trip to London said Afghanistan's next leader, who is expected to be announced this week unless an run-off election required, needs to build better ties with the US as well as the Afghan people.
Mrs Clinton added that the US was "anxiously awaiting" the outcome of the 20 August presidential elections, which was marred by allegations of massive fraud, according to a BBC article.
Preliminary results unveiled last month placed incumbent Hamid Karzai on the top with about 55% of the vote and his closest rival, Abdullah Abdullah, in the second with nearly 28%.
"We are very clear that if this election results in him being re-elected, there must be a new relationship between him and the people of Afghanistan," Clinton told the BBC's Today programme.
She added President Karzai, if re-elected, must improve relationship between the Afghan government and other countries involved in Afghanistan's stabilisation process.
Mrs Clinton said the next president would also have to do more to train and deploy Afghan forces to take over from foreign troops, the article further added.
"It is a more complex picture than sometimes emerges from snapshot views. But clearly we expect more, we're going to be working towards more," the BBC quoted Secretary Clinton as saying.
President Barack Obama and his administration seem tougher on their Afghan partner to work harder and apparently try to put more responsibility on the next Afghan government. President Obama is currently reviewing his Afghan strategy whether to deploy extra troops on the ground as the war enters a fierce stage eight years after its beginning.
The top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McCrystal, has formally requested up to an additional 40,000 troops to overcome the growing Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Do more than grab with both hands and take it brown from taliban - al quaeda - isi puppetmasters? Could be a tall order...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/13/2009 0:27 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Kuwaiti female lawmaker Rula Dashti on Sunday submitted an amendment to the Gulf state electoral law that aims to scrap a requirement that women must comply with Islamic Sharia law guidelines.
The guidelines were introduced four years ago when parliament voted to grant women full political rights but added a precondition that both women voters and candidates must comply with regulations dictated by Sharia law.
" The fatwa is not binding to the Kuwaiti society. The only reference for us is the constitution "
Kuwaiti female lawmaker Rula Dashti
The law does not explain the nature of the regulations, but last week the emirate's Fatwa Department ruled that under Islamic law, it is an obligation for Muslim women to wear the hijab head cover.
Although the fatwa, or religious edict, was general in nature and did not specifically refer to Kuwait's election law, it triggered conflicting reactions from Islamist and liberal lawmakers and activists.
Islamist lawmakers called on female MPs and a minister to comply with the ruling while liberal and female legislators stressed the fatwa is not binding since it did not come from the constitutional court. "The fatwa is not binding to the Kuwaiti society. The only reference for us is the constitution," issued in 1962, she told AFP.
Dashti said that including Sharia regulations in the electoral law is a breach of the constitution. "The regulations clearly violate articles in the constitution which call for gender equality and make no reference to Sharia regulations," she said.
Four Kuwaiti women made history in May when they won seats in parliament for the first time. Two of the women MPs wear the hijab while Dashti and Aseel Al-Awadhi do not. Education Minister Mudhi al-Hmoud also does not wear the hijab.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels warned of a possible secession if the government persists in its policy and he denied allegations his group receive funding from Iran.
In response to a set of questions Al Arabiya addressed to him via email, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the current leader of the Zaidi insurgency in the northern governorate of Saada, criticized the stance of Arab nations towards the conflict in Yemen and accused them of lacking understanding of the conflict.
"Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa, who recently visited Yemen, has to intensify his efforts in order to engage both parties in dialogue and achieve peace in such an important Arab country," he told Al Arabiya.
Houthi said he is willing to be cooperative as far as local and Arab mediation is concerned, but argued that Moussa still has to exert more effort.
"Egypt and other Arab countries can play a major role if they want, but till now we haven't seen a positive mediation on the part of the Egyptian government. In fact, the statement of the Egyptian Foreign Minister seemed to support war more than peace."
Houthi noted that one of the major obstacles to reaching a peace deal is that the United States and the West are passive about the government's actions.
"This encourages the government to engage in more unjust measures towards the people and to continue committing its crimes."
Houthi said allegations that his group is hindering peace negotiations are false, but added that to start dialogue the war has to stop first.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
They did that before, but couldn't keep their independence. Whether they can do better this time is a major question. I don't think the Saudis would appreciate it, and I know Yemen will object. The Iranians do NOT want to get openly involved, so the Houthis are totally screwed.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/13/2009 18:13 Comments ||
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#3
What was the official reason given last time, when the two Yemens united? Mr. Wife was offered a position there at the time, but was very happy to be able to turn down the opportunity because of my religion. I come in handy on occasion!
#1
Couldn't he have just driven or taken a train through the tube? I thought you could move freely throughout the EU without being checked.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
10/13/2009 11:54 Comments ||
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#2
The big question is will he again visit the Lords? He could play a return visit into a major publicity stunt, and even assemble a political rally, mostly for UKIP and BNP, but not officially. Labour and some of the media would try to boycott it, but that would probably backfire, and lots of people would want to hear what he had to say.
[Dawn] The banned organization Jaish Mohammad on Monday threatened to attack the Sindh Assembly, MQM center Nine-Zero and Central Jail Karachi and therefore stringent security measures are being undertaken to avoid any untoward incident.
According to details, intelligent agencies say that the outlawed Jaish Mohammad has threatened to attack Sindh Assembly, the MQM center of Nine-Zero, the central Jail and other important targets.
On the other hand, security has been put on high alert and all entry and exit points of the Sindh Assembly have been sealed and vehicles are being checked strictly.
Police and Rangers have been deployed outside residences of important high ups, hotels, the airport, railway stations and other public places.
Police and Rangers are checking each and every vehicle entering Karachi while citizens have been requested to cooperate with law enforcement agencies in this regard.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION ISRAELI MIL FORUM > SOMALI ISLAMISTS [Hezbul Islam] THREATEN TO ATTACK REOPENED UN OFFICES
[Mogadishu = Somalia]; + AQ JIHADISTS PLAN ATTACK AGZ WORLD CUP FINAL [Mozambigue].
Kashmiri nationalist parties who demand unification and independence of Jammu and Kashmir held a picketing outside Pakistani High Commission in London.
Despite the wet weather a large number of Kashmiris gathered outside the High Commission and shouted pro Kashmir slogans; and demanded that Pakistan must not annex Gilgit Baltistan as it will lead to serious problems for Pakistan.
People of Jammu and Kashmir hitherto have been keen in speaking against Indian role in Jammu and Kashmir and having demonstrations against India, but it looks tide has turned.
People of Jammu and Kashmir have seen true intentions of Pakistan and feel no hesitation in standing outside High Commission of Pakistan and shout 'Pakistani forces out of Kashmir'. 'Pakistan ka jo yaar hai - ghadaar hai ghadaar hai, Ilaaq ka jo yaar hai Ghadaar hai, meaning who so ever is friend of Pakistan is a traitor....who so ever is for accession is a traitor.
Demonstrators also shouted against India and demanded that India should also leave Kashmir; and that Jammu and Kashmir should become an independent country. It was a big demonstration if we compare it with demonstrations of Kashmiri and Pakistani held in London over the past years; and people travelled from various towns to express their anger and disapproval of what Pakistan was doing in Gilgit and Baltistan and 'Pakistani Occupied Kashmir'.
It was interesting to note that some pro Pakistan Kashmiris were also present to show their support for this picketing, and for the first time they spoke out against Pakistani policies with regard to Kashmir. They said they were deeply disappointed with policies of Pakistan; and wanted to show their anger and frustration.
Demonstrators shouted Zardari jee ye Kashmiriyoun ke saath Ghadaari hai, meaning what you are doing is treason to Kashmiris. They also said Geelani jee hamain ye ghulami qabool nei.... Bacha bacha kat maray ga Kashmir sooba nei baney ga, meaning Prime Minister Gilani we reject this slavery - reference to a new package on Gilgit and Baltistan. They said every Kashmiri child will die but Kashmir won't become a province of Pakistan.
Demonstrators got really angry when Pakistani High Commission even refused to accept a petition from respected Kashmiri leaders representing various political parties. 'This is like rubbing salt in our wounds', said Dr Shabir Choudhry, Spokesman of Kashmir National Party.
He said, 'We used our democratic right and like civilised people did not use foul language against Pakistan or threw stones or tomatoes at the High Commission. We were here to express our disappointment and anger; and least we expected was that someone from the High Commission come out and receive our petition and pass it on to President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani that they also know what our concerns were'.
Abbas Butt, Chair of KNP said, 'The attitude of the Pakistani officials was very annoying and this was a slap on our faces. It was a common decency that they should come out and meet the Kashmiri leaders. It is their arrogance and wrong policies which is turning Kashmiris against them. Today even pro Pakistan Kashmirirs have come out to protest against their policies in this cold weather'. He said, 'Pakistani officials treat Kashmiris as slaves of medieval times who do not deserve basic humane rights, but they are wrong we will fight back and get our rights'.
JKNLF President Mahmood Kashmiri expressed his deep anger on attitude of Pakistani High Commission officials. He said, 'They should have enough decency to come out and meet us. They have shown that they are worse than Indian officials. At least Indian officials respectfully take petition from us when we hold demonstrations outside the Indian High Commission'. He said, 'Our struggle is against wrong policies of Pakistan and not against the State of Pakistan, but you can see after refusing to accept petition some Kashmiris have shouted slogans against Pakistan. This is no way to win minds and hearts of people', he added.
When the delegation that went to hand - in the petition came back and explained what had happened, some Kashmiris in frustration and anger shouted anti Pakistan slogans. Leaders acted quickly and requested them not say anything against state of Pakistan, however still some shouted, 'Kashmiriyoun ka barra qatil Pakistan and chhotta qatil Hindustan'- meaning, 'Pakistan is a big murderer of Kashmiris and India is a small murder'. Also they said, 'Kashmiriyoun ki Azad ke do shaitan eik India doosra Pakistan'- meaning 'Two Satans are against Kashmir's independence one is India the other is Pakistan'.
Tahir Bostan, President of JKPNP also expressed his anger against the attitude and arrogance of the Pakistani officials. He said, 'This attitude is insulting. This shows what respect Pakistani officials have for Kashmiri leaders'. He said, 'Our struggle against wrong policies of Pakistan will continue, and we will start a campaign against Pakistan, and will hold a series of demonstrations outside different Pakistani missions'.
The Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Front, Jammu and Kashmir National Awami Party, Kashmir Freedom Movement, Jammu Kashmir Plebiscite Front, Kashmir Liberation Organisation, Association of British Kashmiris, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (Y),Jammu Kashmir Peoples National Party and the Kashmir National Party were among the parties that were present at the demonstration. (ANI)
Posted by: john frum ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Good sign Kashmiris at last turning on their Jihadi sponsored expansionist enemies!
For the first time on Monday (October 12), the people of Kupwara made an emotional appeal to the Indian government wanting jobs and better prospects. Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district remained shut down on Monday with protestors blocking roads at various points. Vehicular traffic was also blocked. This time though, the protests are not for 'Azadi', but for better governance.
Legislators, intellectuals, traders, lawyers and transporters of the district joined in the protests for better governance. One of the key demands of protestors is the reservation of jobs for locals in Kupwara district.
Protestors called a bandh in the frontier district following the selection of outsiders mostly from particular Jammu districts against the openings in district cadres of Kupwara.
People of the border district, including legislators, are up in arms against the inter-district recruitment policy describing it as sheer discrimination against the unemployed youth. How can the unemployed youth of Kalaroos, Karnah, Mawar and Lolab compete with the youth of Jammu who regularly enjoy sufficient coaching at the tuition centers and study in prestigious institutions of India. We wouldnt allow them to snatch our right. How can they apply for district cadre post here, a postgraduate student from Handwara said.
What is surprising is that the Kupwara district on the border of India and Pakistan has been fiercely pro-Azadi. In the last 20 years they have observed 2000 bandhs. On an average 100 days of protests and strikes demanding Azadi, boycotting polls etc.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Azadi = Freedom in Persian. I think iit is the same word in Urdhu and Hindi.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday blamed recent violence at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque on Arab "extremist elements" and rejected archeologists' and residents accusations that Tel Aviv was digging under one of Islam's holiest sites.
The prime minister's statements came after calm had returned to the area and restrictions on access to the al-Aqsa compound, which houses the sacred mosque, were lifted after weeks of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian residents.
Netanyahu told reporters at the weekly meeting of his cabinet that "extremist elements tried to disturb the peace and quiet in Jerusalem."
"We are talking about a radical minority that spread lies that we intend to dig under the Temple Mount. I want to make clear that this is a lie," he said. "I appreciate that the majority of Israel's Arab citizens were not caught up in these provocations."
The prime minister's words were likely to do nothing to quell anger over what many Muslim religious authorities and residents insist is excavation and digging taking place under the al-Aqsa compound under the disguise of archaeological work.
In 2008, residents of the area told the French news agency AFP they were awakened nearly every night by the sound of Jewish settlers tunneling under their homes towards the Old City's al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
"We hear them at night, under the house. Sometimes the whole building shakes. Then they leave the next morning, early," a resident told AFP at the time.
The reasons for the confrontations at the flashpoint compound, which is revered by Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, and by Jews as the Temple Mount, were disputed.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Ma'an -- Jordan threatened to expel the Israeli ambassador last week if Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque during Palestinian demonstrations at the holy site, the newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported on Monday.
Right-wing Israeli activists were reported entering the Al-Aqsa compound at least twice in the last two weeks, sparking several days of protests by Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.
The official news agency Petra reported that Jordan's Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires twice in the course of eight days in protest of the reported intrusions at the mosque.
In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz last week Jordan's King Abdullah II warned that Israeli policies in Jerusalem could provoke a broader regional confrontation.
"We are seeing problems in Jerusalem that will directly destabilize not only the relationship with Jordan - which has a special concern and role in Jerusalem that is recognized in the peace treaty - but will also create a tinderbox that will be a major flashpoint throughout the Islamic world," the king said.
Meanwhile on Monday Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian house in the East Jerusalem town of Beit Hanina.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION ISRAELI MIL FORUM > OP-ED > IFF ISRAEL IS DESTROYED -DESTROY MOSCOW. ISRAEL should use its nukes agz ANY WORLD POWER WOM GIVES DANGEROUS NUCTECHS TO ISRAEL'S ENEMIES + which is used in NUKULAAR-WMD TERROR ATTACKS AGZ ISRAEL.
The Acting Palestinian Authority chief says he will push for a vote on a recently released UN report about Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Mahmoud Abbas had earlier requested the UN Human Rights Council to defer the vote, a decision that was strongly condemned by Palestinian factions and human rights groups.
The man just doesn't stay bribed.
The PA decision to back the deferment of the vote had also triggered angry street protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which had left Abbas facing the most serious political challenge of his career.
"I instructed our ambassador [to the UN in Geneva] to call for another extraordinary meeting of the Human Rights Council in order to vote on the report, seeking to punish all who committed the most grotesque crimes against women and children in Gaza," The Wall Street Journal quoted Abbas as saying in a televised speech late on Sunday, addressing the controversy publicly for the first time.
Facing an unprecedented wave of condemnation and accusations of treason from other Palestinian factions including his own party, Abbas had said he ordered the establishment of a commission of inquiry into finding those responsible for dropping a UN resolution against Israel. The measure killed the Palestinians hope to pass a resolution against Israel in the UN Human Rights Council.
An unnamed PA minister earlier scoffed at Abbas' decision to establish the commission, according to the Jerusalem Post. "What's the president [Abbas] trying to tell us? that he didn't make the decision to kill the resolution that would have seen the UN endorse the findings of the fact-finding commission into the Gaza war?" the minister asked.
Abbas however defended his earlier backing of a deferment, The Wall Street Journal reported. "The decision to postpone the vote was a result of a consensus among the different parties at the Human Rights Council...and in order to secure the largest number of supporters for any resolution in the future," he said.
A United Nations inquiry, led by former South African Judge Richard Goldstone, detailed what investigators called Israeli actions "amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity," during Israel's winter offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Security forces raided an Islamic school on Monday in insurgency-plagued southern Thailand, detaining 60 students and religious teachers for questioning, police said. The raid came two days after a group of suspected Muslim insurgents opened fire on the motorcade of a high-ranking civil servant in the area. No one was wounded or killed.
On Monday, 200 policemen and soldiers detained 60 Islamic teachers and students at Saengtham Wittaya School in Narathiwat province's Bacho district, said Police Col. Chamlong Ngamnet. 'We have received information that some might have information about the incident on Saturday and others might have ties to the insurgency,' Mr Chamlong said, adding that police found a book about suicide bombings in one of the rooms at the school's dormitory. 'We will release those who are not involved. We just wanted to question them about recent activities at the school and in the area.' Question them good and hard!
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iranian opposition leaders have demanded they be given time to speak on state television to show proof of their allegations that the June election was rigged, a reformist daily reported on Monday.
Former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and cleric Mehdi Karroubi met at the weekend and decided they want to go on television to challenge the authorities who say they have no evidence to back claims the poll was fraudulent, the newspaper said.
The reformist Sarmayeh newspaper also quoted Mousavi as saying that Iranian officials were giving "wrong" data to the people about the post-vote unrest which rocked the country.
"Look how many times the number of the killed has been changed. They say that fraud in the election is a lie. Some gathered to say that there was no fraud... okay, then if you are so sure then why are you afraid of us appearing on television?" Mousavi said during his meeting with Karroubi, the report said.
"Why do you not open the ballot boxes on a live television show, so people can see how many ballot papers without serial numbers are in the boxes?"
Mousavi was the main challenger to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 poll, which returned the hardline president to office for a second term.
The opposition leader has continued to claim that the election result was massively rigged in Ahmadinejad's favor.
Karroubi too voiced similar concerns during the meeting, Sarmayeh said.
"Some talk about the election as if nothing has happened, nothing occurred," he said.
"You think people do not know what has happened to them? Then why these protests? They are saying I had only 300,000 votes and I did not have a single vote in 10,000 ballot boxes, which means I did not have a single supporter," said the reformist cleric, whose official tally plunged from more than 17 percent in the 2005 presidential election to less than one percent this year.
"If you are telling the truth, then instead of denying the fraud in the state media (television) and putting pressure on innocent prisoners for confessions, they should allow us to come on television and give to the people our evidence" supporting the claims.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I think they'd be a whole lot safer trying to broadcast on another Nation's TV, say Israielli?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/13/2009 13:10 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
